It's hard to believe that a show that had so much promise fell so short. Even with Kevin Bacon attached, how could it have gone so wrong? It's predictable, routine and stale material.Bad writing, over-acting round off the mix.

Wow, this is a pathetic attempt to make another serialized show about a serial killer who wants to play cat and mouse with an FBI anti-hero who once beat him, and is so pretentious that even Poe would call him a hack. Actually, Poe would consider this guy a phony. While the actor who plays the serial killer isn't bad, he's nothing special when it comes to manipulation. Especially to the point of having a cult. He's not high IQ hippy with tons of drugs and a bunch of lost, angry people searching for something DIFFERENT. He's not charming or even a mystery of having actual different personas like Bundy or Kemper. And he's not as cunning as the Zodiac or Jack the Ripper. He gets caught and his wife bangs the guy who catches him. The masks are beyond silly. The fact that some of these brainwashed clowns have any sort of college education is even more laughable. Poe would be considered boring still. They should have gone for H.P. Lovecraft, and an actor who radiates charm and a pretend down-to-earth ego so people would be more easily played. Manipulation is an art, not a science. Poor Kevin Bacon, he deserves better than this derivative, vacant show written by a guy who once wrote Scream and Dawson's Creek. Chris Carter, Whedon, Minear, and many others could have done a better job with this supposedly dark material. This is tame compared to Millennium, The Inside, and other shows that Fox has tried. Seriously, Dexter is ACCURATE compared to this Hot Topic drivel.… Expand

Despite the interesting premise and the talented actors on board, 'The Following' is a major letdown. It's not the fact that the pilot episode is filled with predictable twists- the fact that the dialogue is so poor that it takes away from the soild performances of Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy- the fact that the violence is too over the top and gratuitous- It's the fact that the creators promised us something different, but instead, gave us more of the same.… Expand

ok, this is just a very difficult premise and storyline to swallow. First off, criminals on death row are not allowed visitors, much less visits that are not recorded or video taped or watched off. Why does Claire just hop into a car, knowing you can't trust anything carrol does. While at the house where joey is being held, kevin bacon knows there are three followers on the premise, yet doesn't seem to pay any attention to his surroundings. Why does the lawyer not talk to the FBI and just go into hiding rather than helping a serial killer just because he got someone to cut her fingers off? And lastly, is everyone involved in carrols plans? Eveery episode has a surprise follower. whether its the babysitter, gay neighbors, wife of one of the cultists, local cop.... just so bad. I wanted to like it so badly too… Expand

This is one of the worst shows ever on television and will probably appeal to most Americans. It is like watching a two hour movie expanded to fit 12 hours. I have watched four episodes and I am done. The writing is pedestrian at best. The violence is sadistic and mostly unnecessary. Much of the time is spent prolonging the violence to fill in empty time. Not one character is multi-layered. There are more holes in the story than a wheel of Swiss cheese. Just one example,of so many, that shows how bad this show is: Bacon and his partner go to rescue his sister. He tells his partner that he will leave the side door open for him. Bacon goes in, gets knocked unconscious, is picked up and put on a table and tied up by a the girl villain, tortured with batteries and threatened with a knife before his partner comes in to rescue Bacon and his sister. WHAAAAAAT!!! Maybe his partner went to dinner, saw a movie and then came to the rescue. Really? Do the producers think we are that stupid or maybe they are just hoping.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love Kevin Bacon. Sorry, but this is a crapfest of a show. The first episode was moderately interesting. But by about the halfway mark of the second episode the plot falls apart. You can nitpick it to death with the holes. But there are 3 glaring issues with this show.

1. How stupid is law enforcement on this show. And do they plan to have every episode be that Kevin Bacon figures everything out just a little late. And 2 episodes in and both times KB finds a way to be alone without backup. It's just so dumb that it bothers me.

2. Really this Cult leader has sucked in Police, FBI agents, business men by writing a lackluster book and having an accent? I don't buy it. And I certainly don't believe that he has had this in the works for 2 years. And that these followers just waited and schemed. For what to kill people for this author. Why? What is the motivation? And are they all planning a big escape at the end?

3. Speaking of ends, where is this one going? Am I to believe that either they never can stop this guy and his followers on every corner? Or am I to believe that there are cults and followers all over that need KB to track them down? Either way I'm just not interested.

To anybody who has watched the crapfest called The Mentalist, Imagine Red John, being tracked in the setting of 7 and you get where this show is going. Nowhere.

This is just an awful show. And I just cannot believe that with all the personality KB has in his usual roles that he chose the dead on arrival show to make his debut on tv.… Expand

I adore Kevin Bacon and I REALLY wanted to love the show; however, the reality is that I don't love it or even really like it. As a matter of fact, I find myself getting super frustrated when I watch it. I had to ignore my critical thinking skills to get though the 1st 2nd episodes. What it lacks in intelligent dialogue it certainly makes up for with graphic murders. I do agree that it will revive the works of Poe. I studied 6 of his works in college-I guess anything can be turned into a religion/cult, but I'm not convinced. M is appointed but sill slightly intrigued. With all the other smart and riveting shows right now, the writers of this one need to step it up a bit. I hope they do.… Expand

I notice most of the positive reviews were after only a few episodes. I love Kevin Bacon and love seeing him but its clear others agree it is just getting exhausting. It's not believable. Even for a tv show. They did not develop the Joe Carroll character enough for the audience to see why anyone would want to follow him let alone so many people. Cops, soldiers, lawyers all these people are committing crimes for this dude? In the earlier eps when it was just a few loony tunes I was able to believe it but not anymore. And the cops never have enough back up? When one of the worst serial killers in history has escaped they can't get a few more feet on the ground or a helicopter? Frustrating.… Expand

I don't think that Kevin Bacon can carry this show... It seems hurried and banal. I can't swallow half of the situations that come up on very episode. I think this one is destined to be cancelled. Shock and awe are not working in this second rate attempt to a televised Silence of the Lambs.

Shellview said it very well. This show is really, really bad. Everyone who is not a serial killer is an idiot. Police and FBI are portrayed as fools, other citizens are routinely killed because they are stupid. Maybe the writers could get together with the "Mentalist" writers who think the "Red John" storyline interests anyone and they could get this all out of their system this year, so we could have something new next year. I agree with shellview, it is like watching a painful 2 hour movie over 12 hours or so. I am done with it, too.… Expand

I loved the premise of this show and anticipated its arrival. How quickly it failed. It can only continue if every character does the absurd. No one in law enforcement or government would ever consistently do so much wrong. No establish police or forensic procedures are followed. It just has become idiotic. Love Bacon! Amazing actor and the premise is still good, but please stop insulting our intelligence and make the police and FBI into bumbling idiots. OH, the lawyer no one noticed or asked how she suddenly lost fingers!! Come on. I give the show two more episodes and I am done if they don't get smarter.… Collapse

Bacon works as hard as he can to save this show, but ultimately the writers are to blame. It moves from one clunky, contrived twist to the next, constantly insulting the viewers’ intelligence. Do they seriously expect us to believe that the FBI, especially post-911, would operate with such ineptitude?

And it seems that every episode was written with the aim of engineering a scene where e one or two of the show’s good guys end up on their own in the dark, being stalked by some random knife-wielding maniac. You can probably glean a small amount of entertainment, as I have, from approaching the show as a comedy.… Expand

How stupid naive do the writers think people are Nobody would do the things shown in this series. Common sense is totally missing by all law enforcement personnel. I find myself embarrassed for the characters actions at myself for watching this long.

I tried to like this show but finally gave up. It is simply an insult to my intelligence. How bad to the writers want to make the FBI look? (Not that they may not deserve it in reality...) At the end of the day why would I want to spend 98% of its showtime laughing at its faults in logic and sense. A good premise gone bad for lack of intelligent and realistic writing.

This show constantly has me rolling my eyes. The cops are complete idiots. Every time they get close to catching someone, they either skip procedure or basic common sense and the criminals slip away. It is as predictable as knowing that the survivors on Gilligans Island were going to fail in their latest escape attempt. Whenever there is a crisis you know that someone will be a secret agent, or sheer incompetence will destroy the situation. The show does not keep you guessing or have hidden ideas that surface over time. It is a show that persists on the idea that everyone is this madmans follower and the police are so dense and so unprofessional that they will muck up the situation allowing the criminals to continue their fiendish plan. This show is a horrible show.… Expand

The show had so much promise and Kevin Bacon is terrific but it didn't take long to jump the shark. I bowed out at Episode Six. The Following got "24" stupid (circa season 5 thru 8) real fast. I can understand why people were excited about this show at first, but I can't see how anyone could be hanging on after Episode Six; the most preposterous and idiotic 60 minutes I've ever sat thru. Giving it a one at this point is overly generous.… Expand

After seven episodes of The Following it has occurred to me that it could be really made into a suspense thriller if they put the cast in a locked room and made them read the script.

The show just seemed boring in the first few minutes. I was not and still am not interested in it at all. It may be because I am more interested in action shows and lots of drama, but The Following does not appeal to me.

What an amazing trailer! Am I right? Unforgivably, the story might have gassed out already. Unfeasible behaviors, dragged out pacing that span multiple commercial breaks, forgettable characters, and confusing love triangles. There is but one way to salvage this show. Kevin Bacon needs to pull a BattleStar out of his--I give it a four.

It is angering to watch Kevin Bacon doing a great job in show that seems too ridiculous. The cops, FBI, prison guards, and US marshals are all stooges. As much as I want to like this show, I come away feeling frustrated at the stupidity of the good guys and the the unrealistic resources and organization of the antagonist.

Kevin Bacon should be ashamed that he has attached his name to this product. I remember the days when I used to look forward to anything containing Kevin Bacon. I gave this show way too much of the benefit of the doubt and somehow managed to watch the first six episodes when I had spare time and literally nothing better to do. I had heard good things. I seriously have to question the taste of the people who told me such good things. It is boring, over-the-top unrealistic, predictable and legitimately gets annoying at some points. Episode 7 is out now but I will gladly say I won't be wasting any more time. I wish I could get that time of my life back and maybe gain an extra hour of sleep for each episode.… Expand

Im not worried about plot, entertainment and acting per se. However, The Following turns gratuitous violence into a cliche. After last nites episode where Carroll kills his acolyte who offers himself as a sacrifice I believe this show has no aspirations to make evil look bad. I am now seriously wondering what entertainment media is thinking. This show is on during prime time and probably being watched by our kids! Have we lost our minds along with our sensibilities?… Expand

I enjoyed the first episode or two, then the implausibility of the plot and its characters became too much to handle. It's funny that such a notorious serial killer was allowed an unlimited number of visitors, never had a conversation taped, and had absolute ability to connect with the outside world not to mention the fact that he somehow has roped in hundreds of "followers" from inside a maximum security facility. The 2nd huge beef I have is in the form of a question: What's the end-game of this series? Will we see a resolution of the Joe Carroll situation by the end of this season, or are the writers planning to continue to string us along with a new twist every week for the entire run of this series? My wife still enjoys watching, but I can barely watch the inanities pile up each week.… Expand

If it was shoot without the presumption of being a good movie it would be fine and maybe it would have some self irony in it however "the following" true mistake its his hard job to look like a serious drama....ok, the pilot was decent and intriguing, the editing is fast paced as it should be and the actors are good so whats the big problem here??? Well, the script:

a) A mass murderer (Carroll) receives visits from tens of people in prison and no one is there to record them and check them. Even other serial killers!!!
b) An obsessive, and some times ridiculous, abuse of flash backs maybe to imitate lost and manage to get a new season in if the show went well
c) The use of a great actor in a stupid role (bacon) in which a cardiopatic alcoholic agent is sent alone to literally run through wood, bushes, entire cities without any sort of back up.
d) An fbi force which seems made of mentally retarder people who send a cardiopatic alone to do the work of a team, who loose from radar an helicopter, who send alone officers at home of serial killers which manage (wow) to kill them, a mother so stupid to follow a serial killer and manages to elude retirement aged fbi officers outrunning them in high heals over a 100 mt run ....and the list goes on and on and on.
c) Forcing situations in the script so that you can do 15 episodes instead of maybe ten or twelve and making the actors look like they are actually acting (and not natural) because the only purpose of that scene is to justify the next one but, in the end, it does not have any sense.

So if you have a little pride in your wits and have little sense of humor do not watch it, its so stupid that it will make you angry (a woman is getting killed while on the phone with the fbi, they know exactly where she is but instead of calling the police force of the area they send a rookie and the cardiopatic to catch her. Fine but they are at least 30 miles away from there....of course she gets killed....). If you have sense of humor or are able to switch your brain off then its somewhat decent .

Thumbs down on a missed good opportunity with a great cast.… Expand

Frustrating and painful to watch. This show exploits heavily the horror-thriller genre, mostly using its absurd and predictable plots, covering the gaps in logic with new characters. You see all the worst-case scenarios transposed to the screen, with a lot of unnecessary cruelty and blood shed. With such a great cast it's truly hard to understand why this show keep being so unreasonable. Basically, it lacks in intelligence and soul.… Expand

Really tailing off now after a good start. Dream sequences are scraping the barrel, and a week before Easter, it's actually getting implausible to the point of meh, whatever...

I really, really want to like this show, but since the premiere episode, the story lines have become too outrageous. Are the FBI, local police, and US Marshals really that stupid? For example, in the most recent episode, two US Marshals who decide not to wear body armor walk nonchalantly into gunfire, while another stands behind a door only to get gun down when the followers shoot-up through the door. Most people with a half a brain would not be standing behind the door. Carrolls lawyer-- A smart person would contact the FBI authorities for protection from Carroll's followers, instead she agrees to Carroll's demands when her life is threatened? How in the world did the prison warden convince those responsible for Carroll's transfer (prison guards, camera operators) to turn a blind eye to his escape? Another example: Joe escapes in a helicopter leaving a large city. Are we to believe that the FBI, FAA, or other government entity lacks the resources to track a helicopter in the sky? The FBI, with all the resources, send only Ryan Hardy to supervise the transfer of Clare to another location. What they couldn't spare one or two FBI agents, or at least contact the local authorities to help with the relocation. There are just too many implausible scenarios to convince any intelligent viewer to just blindly accept what is happening on screen.… Expand

SPOILER: this show is absolutely terrible! The cliched English serial killer villain is laughable. Somehow this college professor reads a few Edgar Allen Poe stories and metamorphoses into some sort of super-powerful ninja assassin. As another reviewer noted all the non serial killer characters are idiots. All the serial killer characters are idiots too, mind you. The plot has more holes than the Albert hall. Seriously, don't waste any fraction of your valuable life on this dross.… Expand